In Due Time
by DigiExpert
Summary: Part of my young!Aaeru series. A fishing trip brings about impatience, and the all important question: Why does it take so long for the fish to bite? Aaeru learns the answer to this and some of her other questions.


**I love days off from teaching... today's an election day so of course, schools are closed. For some reason, I could not make myself sleep in at all so I got up, checked my usual sites, and then started finishing this story, which I'd started yesterday. It's also part of my "The Life and Times of Young Aaeru" series, and can either fall before or after the Simile story, but I'm going to put it before it since that story hinted that Aaeru was too big for...something. I won't spoil it. I think the next story I write in this series will have her a bit older. There are 2 particular stories I must do for this series because they are what I consider to be turning points in Aaeru's life. Anything else I write can follow after, but those must be done. Anyway, enjoy! **

She held the tiny fishing pole carefully, making sure it didn't suddenly slip from her grasp. She pulled it back over her shoulders, watching the worm wiggle. She cast the line out, watching it land out in the water. The hardest part now would be waiting for a bite. She always had trouble sitting still; it seemed to take _forever_ for the fish to come.

"Why are they so slow?" she complained.

Her grandfather chuckled beside her. He held his own pole, also waiting for a bite. "If the fish came right away, there'd be nothing to fishing. It takes time and patience to catch a fish."

"Are you sure they like worms? Maybe they want something else," suggested Aaeru.

"Oh? What do you think they want?"

"Chicken!"

"I think they're happy with the worms."

"Well, they don't need to be so slow about it," grumbled Aaeru. "Hurry up fish!" she shouted.

"Hush, Aaeru. You'll scare away the fish that were interested," he scolded gently.

Aaeru made a face as she sat silently with her pole. She was a very active child that kept her grandfather on his toes. As he looked over his young granddaughter, he realized how quickly five years had flown past. Part of that may have had something to do with Aaeru's on-the-go attitude. From the time she had been capable of moving on her own, she'd always been into something or off on some adventure, such as the time she'd taken to playing with a family of mice in the barn. Her grandfather had quickly had to deter her from that task.

Tempus Spatium had blessed him, and for that he was thankful. There had been times he had wondered if he'd done the right thing by taking on an infant at his age. There had been long nights when Aaeru had cried and he hadn't had any clue what to do for her. The time she'd fallen into the river had scared him more than anything. She had grown on him quickly, and he loved her dearly. In the end, she seemed more like a daughter to him than his granddaughter.

"Grandpa, help!" shouted Aaeru, drawing him out of his reverie. He saw her line had a pull and Aaeru was doing all she could to not be pulled into the river. Whatever she had caught was definitely putting up a fight.

He reacted quickly, moving to help Aaeru steady the line so that she wasn't pulled into the river. Together, they slowly reeled in the fish, watching as it splashed and hopped underneath the water. It would jerk to the left and then just as quickly jerk back to the right. At one point, it seemed as though the fish would either get away or break the line. With one final tug, they pulled the fish from the water and it danced about on the pole. Aaeru had caught a nice sized trout, perfect to be grilled for dinner.

She watched as her grandfather carefully removed the hook from the mouth of the fish and placed it in the bucket they had brought along that had been filled with water from the river. She peered into the bucket, watching the first swim about. "How many more fish do we need?"

"Four or five ones just like that if we're going to have a big meal. You love grilled fish."

Rubbing her belly, Aaeru nodded. "Can we have the potatoes I planted too? I wanna eat them!"

"As long as you scrub them clean before we cook them. Preparing them for a meal is part of raising potatoes too." Her grandfather had taken her pole and began to bait it again, taking out another worm.

Aaeru watched the worm wriggle and dance as his large hands carefully placed it on the hook. "Why can't you do it?"

"Because you're a big girl now and I think you're old enough to help in the kitchen with the cooking."

Groaning, Aaeru replied, "Then I don't wanna be big! I wanna stay little!" Chores weren't something she liked, even though she only had a few simple ones. They were boring, and not very fun.

Making sure the worm was secured to the pole, he handed it back to Aaeru. She took it from him. "If you stay little, you can't do the other things you like to do as a big girl."

"Like what?"

"You can't help me with the Simile anymore and you'd have to take more naps again. If you don't get bigger, you can't learn how to fly by yourself either."

Aaeru cast out again, her small brain processing these things that she either wanted or loved to do. "Fine. I'll be a big girl." She watched the water, hoping the fish would bite soon. She watched her grandfather reel in his line and cast out again. Waiting…she hated waiting. She still wished that the fish would just come. Weren't they hungry? If she were a hungry fish, she'd try to find food fast.

The afternoon passed slowly; the fish weren't biting as much and it took awhile before they had caught five more decent sized fish for their dinner that evening. Aaeru couldn't have been happier when she saw the final fish placed into the bucket. She had given up on fishing after awhile, content to sit along the banks of the river. She had really wanted to play in the water, but her grandfather had warned her that might keep the fish from coming, and then they might not have enough for dinner. Aaeru had really wanted grilled fish, so she listened to his words.

The two packed up their gear they had brought. Aaeru carried the pail of worms they hadn't used and her fishing pole while her grandfather carried his own pole and the bucket of fish. Aaeru could hear the fish moving around inside the bucket, and every so often, some water would slosh out of the bucket and onto her. "Grandpa, make the fish stop doing that! I'm gonna be wet and smell like fish!"

"You don't want to smell like fish?"

"No! They smell stinky!"

"But you like the smell of them grilling, don't you?"

"Cause they aren't stinky then! They smell good on the grill." Aaeru sniffed her arm. "But I don't smell like a grilled fish."

"You can take your bath while I prepare dinner, but you have to do the potatoes first."

Aaeru had worked quickly to scrub the potatoes clean. She had watched her grandfather do it with the brush and water, and copied his moves from memory. Sometimes the potato would slip from her fingers and splash back into the bowl of water. Aaeru would turn her head and close her eyes. While she worked, her grandfather retrieved the water for her bath, heating some of it.

"Grandpa, are you sure I have to be a big girl?" Aaeru asked when she was in the bath. She took a cup and dumped it over her head, plastering her hair to the sides of her face.

"I thought you wanted to be a big girl?" replied her grandfather from the fireplace, where he'd set up a space to grill the fish they'd caught. The smell had begun to fill the house. The potatoes cooked in the hot ash of the fire, cut up into small pieces.

"But if I'm a big girl, I have to leave you, don't I?"

"When you're old enough you will. When that time comes, you'll want to leave." He spoke seriously, and did not look at her. He didn't feel very comfortable discussing such a serious topic with a five year old.

"But I wanna stay with you forever, grandpa. I don't wanna go away from you." Aaeru looked over at her grandfather's backside, dropping her cup into the water. She couldn't imagine anyone wanting to leave. They were always going to be together.

The older man turned slowly and walked over to his granddaughter. With much effort, he got down on his knees. Looking into Aaeru's eyes he said, "You will, someday. You'll make me a proud grandpa then." Aaeru didn't look convinced. "Don't worry about it for now. You still have plenty of time with me. Worrying about your future only ruins the present."

"'kay…"

He hated to see the sadness on her face so he picked up the cup she had discarded, filled it with water, and dumped it over her head. As she sputtered to recover from the first one, he did it again, grinning, which caused Aaeru to giggle. "Finish your bath. The fish is almost ready. It's such a nice evening that we can eat it on the porch." He handed her the bar of soap that had rested near the tub.

Aaeru's eyes lit up at the thought. She loved being able to eat outside in the open. She took the soap and went back to cleaning up while her grandfather finished cooking their meal. In due time, she would leave her grandfather, but for now, he would make sure she lived a full and happy childhood.


End file.
